Draft gear carrier



Dec. 27, 1932. C, R. BUSCH DRAFT GEAR CARRIER Filed April l5. 1928 .Y INVENTOR [ka/fafa /2 50.90A/

ATTORN EY Patented lec. 27, 1932 -UNETEE STATES PATNT GFFEC CHARLES R. BUSCH, F ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO BUFFALO BRAKE BEAM COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., A CGRGRATIQN OF NEW' YORK DRAFT GEAR CAERER Application led April 13,

rlhis invention relates to railway equipment, and has particular reference to draft gear carriers.

In the construction of railway cars, a center sill isusually fabricated of a pair of steel channel bars7 or the like, extending longitudinally of the car and in spaced apart relation. Draw bars or couplers are mounted between said channels at the extreme ends thereof. and are provided with an elastic mounting by means of a draw spring which absorbs both tensile and compressive forces. This spring is enclosed in a casing and the complete assemblage is known as a draft `gear. For reasons well known to those skilled in the art, it is sometimes necessary to remove the draft gear, and owing to its weight this operation is diilicult and usually has required the services of two men. It is supported loosely upon a carrier plate which extends trans versely below the center sill and which is bolted at its opposite ends to the bottom flanges of the channel bars. To remove the draft gear it is necessary to unbolt both ends of the carrier plate and then drop the plate and gear downwardly.r and it is an object of this invention to provide a draft gear carrier which can be connected and disconnected with much greater ease and facility than has been possible with prior art structures.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a draft gear carrier of extremely simple con struction. and which will be strong and durable in service. constituting` a substantial advance in the art.

More specifically the invention contemplates the provision of a carrier plate whose opposite ends are detachable and pivotally connected to the bottom of the sill and in such a manner that either one of said ends may be selectively uncoupled and the plate subsequently swung downwardly about the pivotal connection of the other end. A pair of mounting brackets are secured in spaced relation to the lower flange of each channel member of the center sill, and the plate eX- tends transversely between the sills and between said brackets.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be read- 1928. Seriallo. 269,726..

ily understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein the invention has been shown by way of illustration and wherein Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a fabricated center sill having a draft gear carrier in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. l is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified form of carrier plate;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the novel mounting bracket;

Fig. G is a bottom plan view thereof7 and Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section thereof.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the invention has been illustrated as applied to a standard form of center sill which is fabricated from a pair of longitudinally disposed steel channel bars 10 and 11 which are spaced from each other and having lateral flanges 12 and 13, respectively, extending outwardly from their lower edges. A draft gear 14 is loosely or removably positioned between the channel bars 1() and 11 and is supported by a carrier plate 15 which extends transversely below the sill and between said channel bars. The carrier plate 15 may be formed of sheet steelor the like and is preferably of a width less than the length of the gear 14, and of a length substantially less than the distance between the outer edges of the sill flanges 12, 13. The opposite ends of the carrier plate 15 are reversely bent as indicated at 16 and 17, whereby to provide openings for cooperative engagement` with supporting pins 18 and 19. Said pins 18 and 19 extend longitudinally below the respective channel bars 10 and 11 and are held in place by suitable iXe-d brackets 2O which are preferably arranged in pairs at the lower side of the flanges 12 and 18.

One of the brackets 20 is shown more clearly in detail in Figs. 5 and 6 as comprising a substantially horizontal portion 21ZL which is adapted to seat against the lower side of the channel bar flange and having a pair of spaced parallel webs 21 and 22 which extend downwardly from the horizontal portion 2F. The horizontal portion 21EL may preferably be provided with a hole 23 for the accommodation of a rivet 24 or other suitable fastening means by which the bracket may be secured to the center sill flange, and preferably the outer edge of the horizontal portion 2la is turned upwardly as indicated at 25 to bear against the longitudinal edge of the center sill flange with which it is associated. his arrangement makes possible the securement of the bracket with a single rivet or bolt and the shoulders 25 prevent the rotation of the bracket around the axis of said rivet or bolt. The depending webs 21 and 22 are provided with aligned apertures 26 for the reception of the shanks of the coupling pins 18 or 19 and in order to reinforce said webs and to provide a substantial bearing for the coupling pins, tlie bracket is further characterized by a curved longitudinal web Q7 which extends between the webs 21 and 22 at the inner side of the axis of the apertures 26.

As has previously been stated the brackets 20 are arranged in pairs at the opposite sides of the center sill and the brackets of each pair are spaced apart a suflicicnt distance to accommodate between them the ends of the carrier plate 15, and the coupling pins 18 and 19 are each of a sufficient length to extend entirely through one end of the carrier plate and the two brackets which are secured to the corresponding side of the sill. Each of said coupling pins may be provided with a. head portion 28 at one end and apertured at its kother' end for the accommodation of a cotterpin 29 or other suitable form of keeper', whereby the locking pin will be held against longitudinal displacement from the brackets. If desired, the locking pin may further be equipped with a metallic strip 30 as best shown in Fig. 3 which will augment the holding power of the cotter pin 29.

In use tbe parts are disposed as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 in which condition the carrier plate 15 constitutes a hrm support for the draft gear 14.. Nhen it is desired to remove or replace the gear 14 and its atti chinents it is only necessary to withdraw of the draft gear on said plate will cause the carrier-plate to swing downwardly about the axis of the other coupling pin to a position sill bars,coupl1ng pins detachably connecting to leave an open unobstructed space between the bars of the center sill, beneath the draft gear, and the draft gear 14, and the gear 14 is then free to drop to the road-bed or to the floor of the shop.

ln Fig. 2 the carrier plate has been illustrated as having its central body portion in a continuous plane and such that its upper surface is substantially in line with the lower surfaces of the flanges 12 and 13. In this respect the carrier plate is susceptible of modification whereby to raise or lower the draft with respect to the center sill, and one suoli modification is illustrated in Fig. 4. Here the carrier plate l5a is arched or deflected upwardly intermediate its ends so that its upper surface is disposed in a plane above the lower surfaces of the flanges 1Q and 13.

lfrom the foregoing it will be evident that a substantial advance has been made in the art by providing a draft gear carrier which is liingedly connected to the center sill and capable of being' disconnected by one man. rllhe construction is extremely simple and capable of being applied or used with standard draft rigging, and in view of its simplicity it is capable of being produced and used with economy. The invention is of course susceptible of further modifications in the details of construction and arrangement of parts and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, is:

l. In combination with the center sill of a` railway car comprising spaced apart llongitudinally extending flanged bars, and a draft gear; a carrier plate forming the sole support of the draft gear between the center sill bars, coupling pins detachably connecting both ends of the carrier plate with parts of the center sill bars, to permit either `end of the plate as may be selected upon removal of one coupling pin to swing downwardly and to one side of the space occupied by the draftgear for depositing the draft gear from the space between the bars of the center sill free from obstruction by the supporting plate.

2. In combination withthe center sill of a railway car comprising spaced apart longit-udinally extending flanged bars, and a draft gear; a carrier-plate forming thesole support of the draft gear between the center sill bars, the carrier-plate formed at opposite ends with coupling-pin receiving eyes, brackets separably fastened in pairs to flanges of the center sill bars in spaced relation to each other and each having openings to register with the eye at one end of the carrierplat'e and provided with a shoulder to contact with the center sill bar to which the brackets are attached to insure registration between the bracket openings and the eye of the carrier-plate, and coupling pins passing through the eyes of the plate and openings of the brackets for supporting the plate from both ends, the pins being removable to release one end of the carrier-plate as may be selected and permit the plate to swing downwardly and to one side of the spa-ce occupied by the draft gear for depositing the draft gear from the space between the center sill bars free from obstruction by the supporting plate.

3. In combination with the center sill of a railway car comprising longitudinally extending bars, and a draft gear; a carrierplate for supporting the draft-gear between the center-sill bars, the carrier-plate being formed at opposite ends with eyes to receive a coupling pin, supporting brackets attached to the center-sill bars, pairs of the brackets being spaced apart on the center-sill bar to which attached, each bracket having side webs formed with aligned openings and further formed with a web extending between the side webs to constitute an extended bearing for a coupling pin and having an edge lying at the inner side of the axis of the openings in the side webs of the bracket, and pins passing through the eyes of the carrier-plate and openings of the brackets to couple the carrier-plate to the brackets, at least one of the coupling pins being removable to release one end of the carrier-plate and permit said plate to swing on the other pin downwardly and to one side of the space occupied by the draft gear for depositing the draft gear from the space between center-sill bars free from obstruction by the supporting plate.

4. The combination with the center-sill of a railway car comprising longitudinally extending bars, and a draft gear g carrier-plate for supporting the draft gear between the center-sill bars, the carrier-plate being formed at opposite ends with eyes to receive a coupling pin, supporting brackets separably attached to the center-sill bars, pairs of the brackets being spaced apart on each centersill bar to which attached, each bracket having side webs formed with alined openings and further formed with a web extending between the side webs to constitute an extended bearing for a coupling pin, and pins passing through the eyes of the carrier-plate and openings of the brackets to couple the carrierplate to the brackets, said pins being removable to release one end of the carrier-plate, as may be selected, at will, and permit said plates to swing on the other pin downwardly and to one side of the space occupied by the draft gear for depositing the draft gear from the space between the center-sill bars free from obstruction by the supporting plate.

5. The combination with the center-sill of a railway car comprising longitudinally extending bars formed with outwardly extending flanges, and a draft gear; a carrier-plate for supporting the draft gear between the center-sill bars, the carrier-plate being formed at opposite ends with eyes to receive a coupling pin, supporting brackets separably attached to the center-sill bars, pairs of the brackets being spaced apart on each centersill bar to which attached, each bracket having side webs formed with alined openings and further formed with a web extending between the side webs to constitute an extended bearing for a coupling pin, and also with an rip-standing flange at the outer end of the bracket to bear against the outer edge of the outwardly extending flange of the center-sill to stabilize connection between the flange and the bracket, and pins passing through the eyes of the carrier-plate and openings of the brackets to couple the carrier-plate to the brackets, said pins being removable to release one end of the carrier-plate, as may be sef lected, at will, and permit said plates to swing on the other pin downwardly and to one side of the space occupied by the draft gear for depositing the draft gear from the space between the center-sill bars free from obstruction by the supporting plate.

CHARLES R. BUSCH. 

